Page 519 Acute Pain Management

The ANZCA working party responsible for this document will continue to monitor the literature
relevant to acute pain management. As new evidence becomes available, further revision will
be required. Unless earlier revision is indicated, it is anticipated that the document will be
revised again in 2014.
Areas identified as requiring further research
As in the second edition of this document, the Working Party identified the same areas that
warrant urgent further research using appropriate research approaches. These relate
primarily to:
1. The management (including pain assessment and education) of acute pain in specific
patient groups including:
— elderly patients;
— patients who are cognitively impaired;
— patients requiring prehospital analgesia;
— patients from difference cultural and ethnic backgrounds;
— Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
— patients with obstructive sleep apnoea;
— patients who are opioid‐tolerant;
— patients with a opioid addiction disorder; and
— patients with or at risk of persistent postoperative pain.
The only area in which research had improved was in children.
2. Issues of cost and cost‐effectiveness.
The NHMRC is encouraged to fund primary research projects that will address this current lack
of evidence.
References

Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and Faculty of Pain Medicine (2005) Managing
acute pain: a guide for patients. http://www.anzca.edu.au/resources/books‐and‐
publications/ManagingAcutePain.pdf.
Davies DP, Wold RM, Patel RJ et al (2004) The clinical presentation and impact of diagnostic
delays on emergency department patients with spinal epidural abscess. J Emerg Med 26: 285–91.
Eisenach JC (2009) Data fabrication and article retraction: how not to get lost in the woods.
Anesthesiology 110(5): 955–6.
Johansson K, Nuutila L, Virtanen H et al (2005) Preoperative education for orthopaedic patients:
systematic review. J Adv Nurs 50: 212–23.
Johnston M, Brouwers M, Browman G (2003) Keeping cancer guidelines current: results of a
comprehensive prospective literature monitoring strategy for twenty clinical practice guidelines.
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care 19: 646–655.
Kwan A (1995) Overdose of morphine during PCA. Anaesthesia 50: 919.
Macintyre PE &Jarvis DA (1996) Age is the best predictor of postoperative morphine requirements. Pain APPENDIX B
64: 357–64.
Marret E, Elia N, Dahl JB et al (2009) Susceptibility to fraud in systematic reviews. Anesthesiology 111:
1279–89.
Moher D, Schulz KF, Altman DG (2001) CONSORT. The CONSORT statement: revised recommendations
for improving the quality of reports of parallel group randomized trials. Ann Intern Med 134(8): 657–62.
Neal JM (2009) Retraction. Reg Anesth Pain Med 34(4): 385.

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